Latch needle



P 1930. J.YMESSING 1,775,045

' LATCH NEEDLE Filed May 25, 1929 FJGZ.

Inventor: Joseph Messing flttorney Patented Sept. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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mending, or restorin the fabric to its origi-' nal form; a further object is to provide means upon the needle for separating a straight thread, or a tight thread, from a looped thread, by which means the straight thread will be revented from moving with the looped threadx over the top of the latch and from being dishharged over the hook instead of into the hook, of the needle, thus dropping the stitch, or loop, and necessitating starting the looping of the threads again at the beginning of the run innthe fabric, thereby involving a great loss of time. My resent invention insures the entrance o the straight 125 thread into the hook of the needle before the latch closes upon the hook, thus forming a perfect stitch and'permitting the needle to be operated very rapidly, either manually or mechanically. In car g out my invention I provide a bifurcate if l atch, having furcations, or forks, thereof termina 'at different distances from the pivot point of the latch. I also employ an enlarged part upon the shank of the needle for guarding the longer fork of the latch from engagement with a thread passing over the shank when the latch is in the open position, and said enlarged part of the shank being so formed and located upon the shank that it will retard the movement of a looped thread in its passage over the shank towards the open position of the latch and the hook, thus allowing the straight thread to advance faster toward the hook and engage the shorter fork, or prong,

.45 of the latch and move the latch into a position in which the longer fork will be engaged by said looped threa This arrangement insures the straight thread entering the hook of the needle and said looped thread being discharged over the 1989. Serial I0. 865,818.

latch and the hook, therebyforming a perfect stitch or loop. These'together with various other novel features of construction and arran ement of the parts, which will be more fully ereinafter described and claimed, constitute my invention.

- Referring to the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my im roved needle, showing the latch in the cl position, and drawn on a greatly enlarged scale; Fig. 2 is a front or ed e view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to ig. 1, partly in section,

and showing the latch in the open position;

Fig. 4 is a front or edge view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the needle illustrating the first step in the operation of the needle to form loops in the fabric; and Figs. 6 to 10 are views similar to Fig. 5 sho the latch in the different positions assumed t oughout the various stepsof the operation of the needle during the formation of one complete loop in the fabric.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts, 1 represents a needle comprising a shank 2, having a hook'3 formed thereon. Said hook is provided with a point 5 located in spaced relation with the shank 2, thus forming a throat 6 for the free'entrance of a thread be tween the point 5 of the hook and the shank. The opposite end 7 of the shank 2, relatively to the 00k, is shown provided with means for operating the needle such as a handle 8.

The shank 2 is provided with an enlarged portion forming cheek pieces 10, between which is formed a slot 12, in which is pivotally mounted a latch 14. At the inner end of said latch is provided means such as the shaft 15, for mounting the latch in the bearings formed by the cheek pieces 10.

The latch 14 is constructed with a bifurcated free end portion comprising a long fork 16 and a shorter fork, or prong 18. Between said forks is formed a notch 20 adapted for receiving a thread. The longer fork 16 extends slightly beyond the point 5 of the hook 3' and the shorter prong 18 terminates adj acent to the point'of the hook when the latch is closed upon the hook, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the opening or notch 20, communicates with thethroat 6 of the hook the shorter fork, or prong 18 extends into the throat 6 of the hook, as the prong 18 is located on the side or edge of the latch which engages the point 5 of the hook. The check pieces 10 extend a suflicient distance in the opposite direction from the book 3 to allow the lon or fork 16 to oocu y the slot 12 between the cheek pieces 10 w en the latch is in the open position as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8, whereby the'c'heek pieces 10 form a guard 21 ada ted for preventing a thread moving over t e guard 21 from'engaging the longer fork 16 of the latch. When the latch is in the open position, as shown in Figs. 3,.

4, 7 and 8, the shorter fork, or prong '18,

rojects beyond the cheek ieces 10, and also Eeyon'd'the guard 21, so t at it'may be engaged by a thread moving over the guard 21 and the cheek pieces 10. Said shorter fork,

' or prong 18 is inclined away from the point 5 of the hook when the latch is in the open osition, thus allowing a thread to pass freey over the fork, or prong 18, when movingaway from the hook and insuring the engagement of the fork, or prong 18 by a thread moving over the shank toward the hook. When the shorter fork, or prong 18 is engaged by a straight thread a entering the notch 20 formed in the bifurcated end portion of the latch, as shown in Fi s. 8 and 9, the thread a will move the latch a out the pivot shaft 15 and withdraw the longer fork 16 from the slot 12 formed in the shank and expose said longer fork 16, above the guard 21, as shown in Fig. 9.

The looped thread 6 as it continues to move over the shank toward the hook 3 will engage the fork 16 and close the latch upon the hook 3, as shown in Fig. 10, during which'opera- ,tionthe straight thread a will be directed into the throat 6 of the hook by the longer fork 16.

A novel means is shown for separating the straight thread a from the looped thread I) when .the needle is being withdrawn from the fabric, as indicated by the arrows, Figs. 8 to 10. Said means consists of an inclined surface, or cam, 22 formed upon the shank at the opposite end of the cheek pieces 10 relatively to the hook 3. The cam 22 extends obliquely from the wide portion of the shank forming the guard 21 toward the upper portion 7 of the shank which is of smaller crosssectional areaabove the cam 22 than the cross-sectional area including the guard 21 or the cheek pieces 10. Said cam 22 is located a sufficient distance above the point of the longer fork 16 of the latch, when in the open position, shown inFigs. 3, 7 and 8, to form means for retardin the movement of the looped thread I) be ore said looped thread I) is moved over the cam 22 to a position embracing the point of the fork 16. By retarding the looped thread I) in its passage over the cam 22 toward the fork' 16, the:

straight thread a will move faster than the looped thread 6 toward the hook 3 and engage the prong 18 of the latch and rotate the latch so as to expose the longer fork 16 be-' yond the guard 21, in which exposed position the lon er fork '16 will be engaged by the looped t read b when it moves over the guard 21 toward the'hook 3.

It will be understood that the straight thread a will move freely over the cam surface 22 and over the guard 21 and that the thread 6 whichis looped around the shank will have to be stretched sufliciently to allow 'ried by the latch in advance ofthe longer fork 16, which latter will direct the straight thread a' into the throat 6 of the hook.

The operation of my invention is as follows; the hook 3 as shown in Fig. 5, is inserted into the first one of the loops 1; and

b, of the fabric, which is to be knitted or interlooped' with the straight threads (1 and a, which have become disengaged from each other, or raveled. When the needle is advanced downwardly through the fabric from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6, as indicated by the arrows, the looped thread I) or a straight thread a open the latch and move the latchinto the full open position, shown in Fig. 7, with the looped thread 6 positioned upon the reduced portion 7 of the shank above the cam. 22. The movement of the needle is now reversed, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 8, and as it is drawn upwardly through the fabric, the loop b will slide down the shank to the cam 22' fore move in advanre of the looped thread I),

which must be stretched by the cam 22 before the needle can pass through said loop I).

The straight thread a will engage the fork or pron 18 of the latch before the looped thread 5 rides completely over-the cam 22. A further upward movement of the needle will cause the straight thread a to rotate the latch thus moving the longer fork 16 from the slot formed in the guard 21, into the position shown in Fig. 9, in advance of the loo ed thread I), which latter will follow the ork I 16 and as the needle is further withdrawn from the position shown in Fig. 9 to that shown in ig. 10, the looped thread 6 closes the latch upon the hook and the longer fork 16 directs the straight thread into the throat 6 of the hook. From the position shown in point of the latch into the Fig. 10 the needle may be withdrawn through the loop b and the straight thread will be retained within the hook and become the second loop, and the beginning of the second operation.

Various changes in the construction and the operation of my needle may be made, such as operating the needle by a suitable machine, instead of using a handle as herein illustrated, without departing from my invention.

, I claim A mending needle comprising a shank having a hook, a latch pivoted on the shank, said latch having a free end portion adapted to engage the hook when in the closed position, a guard upon the shank located adjacent to said free end portion of the latch when in the open position adapted to prevent said free end portion of the latch from being engaged by a thread passing over the shank, a prong upon the latch located between said free end portion of the latch and the hook when the latch is in the open position, said prong located adjacent to the free end of the latch 1 and projecting above the guard when the latch is in the open position, said guard forming an enlargement upon the shank, covering one-half the length of the latch when the latter is positioned at right angles to the length of the shank and forming means for retarding the movement of a looped thread toward the hook relatively to the movement of a straight thread whereby the straight thread will engage said prong and move the path of the looped thread.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH MESSING. 

